Be My Baby
by NowPanicAndFreakOut
Summary: When Peeta announces Katniss's pregnancy, the Capitol is in uproar and Snow has no choice but to pull Katniss out of the Games. She now has to pretend she's pregnant for the avid press & helplessly watch her "husband" trying not to die. Can she keep it together?
1. Prologue

**AN: This is the second time that I've started a fic with a massive quote from the books, but hey, they're awesome books! This is just to remind you (and me) of where this story actually begins... It will change after this, I promise. For now, enjoy recapping Catching Fire!**

**Disclaimer: I am unfortunately not Suzanne Collins, so none of this prologue is mine. Grr.**

'"So this marriage was before the Quell?" says Caesar.  
"Of course before the Quell. I'm sure we'd never have done it after we knew," says Peeta, starting to get upset. "But who could've seen it coming? No one. We went through the Games, we were victors, everyone seemed so thrilled to see us together, and then out of nowhere—I mean, how could we anticipate a thing like that?"  
"You couldn't, Peeta." Caesar puts an arm around his shoulders. "As you say, no one could've. But I have to confess, I'm glad you two had at least a few months of happiness together."

Enormous applause. As if encouraged, I look up from my feathers and let the audience see my tragic smile of thanks. The residual smoke from the feathers has made my eyes teary, which adds a very nice touch.  
"I'm not glad," says Peeta. "I wish we had waited until the whole thing was done officially." This takes even Caesar aback.  
"Surely even a brief time is better than no time?"  
"Maybe I'd think that, too, Caesar," says Peeta bitterly, "if it weren't for the baby."

There. He's done it again. Dropped a bomb that wipes out the efforts of every tribute who came before him. Well, maybe not. Maybe this year he has only lit the fuse on a bomb that the victors themselves have been building. Hoping someone would be able to detonate it. Perhaps thinking it would be me in my bridal gown. Not knowing how much I rely on Cinna's talents, whereas Peeta needs nothing more than his wits.

As the bomb explodes, it sends accusations of injustice and barbarism and cruelty flying out in every direction. Even the most Capitol-loving, Games-hungry, bloodthirsty person out there can't ignore, at least for a moment, how horrific the whole thing is.

I am pregnant.

The audience can't absorb the news right away. It has to strike them and sink in and be confirmed by other voices before they begin to sound like a herd of wounded animals, moaning, shrieking, calling for help. And me? I know my face is projected in a tight close-up on the screen, but I don't make any effort to hide it. Because for a moment, even I am working through what Peeta has said. Isn't it the thing I dreaded most about the wedding, about the future—the loss of my children to the Games? And it could be true now, couldn't it? If I hadn't spent my life building up layers of defenses until I recoil at even the suggestion of marriage or a family?

Caesar can't rein in the crowd again, not even when the buzzer sounds. Peeta nods his good-bye and comes back to his seat without any more conversation. I can see Caesar's lips moving, but the place is in total chaos and I can't hear a word. Only the blast of the anthem, cranked up so loud I can feel it vibrating through my bones, lets us know where we stand in the program. I automatically rise and, as I do, I sense Peeta reaching out for me. Tears run down his face as I take his hand. How real are the tears? Is this an acknowledgment that he has been stalked by the same fears that I have? That every victor has? Every parent in every district in Panem?

I look back to the crowd, but the faces of Rue's mother and father swim before my eyes. Their sorrow. Their loss. I turn spontaneously to Chaff and offer my hand. I feel my fingers close around the stump that now completes his arm and hold fast.

And then it happens. Up and down the row, the victors begin to join hands. Some right away, like the morphlings, or Wiress and Beetee. Others unsure but caught up in the demands of those around them, like Brutus and Enobaria. By the time the anthem plays its final strains, all twenty-four of us stand in one unbroken line in what must be the first public show of unity among the districts since the Dark Days. You can see the realization of this as the screens begin to pop into blackness. It's too late, though. In the confusion they didn't cut us off in time. Everyone has seen.

There's disorder on the stage now, too, as the lights go out and we're left to stumble back into the Training Center. I've lost hold of Chaff, but Peeta guides me into an elevator. Finnick and Johanna try to join us, but a harried Peacekeeper blocks their way and we shoot upward alone. The moment we step off the elevator, Peeta grips my shoulders. "There isn't much time, so tell me. Is there anything I have to apologize for?"  
"Nothing," I say.'


	2. Chapter 1

"Are you sure?" Peeta doesn't seem to want to take my answer as truth. "Even the baby thing?"

"It was all brilliant. Well done." I pull him into a hug and he instantly relaxes in my arms. I feel a shot of guilt run through me as I think of our 'romance'; I still don't even know how I really feel about him and he seems like he'd do anything to make me happy. I hear footsteps and use them as an excuse to step back out of the embrace, turning towards them. An avox is approaching us, and she is carrying a small communicator which she holds out to me. I look at it for a moment, then guess that I am supposed to put it to my ear and say a querying hello.

I am greeted with a sharp, "What the hell are you playing at, Katniss Everdeen?!" I am taken aback by the voice.

"Hi, Mom."

"Pregnant? PREGNANT?! You're barely seventeen years old, barely out of childhood yourself, and you expect to raise a child of your own?" I'm holding the device away from my ear now and I can still hear her, clear as a bell. I think Peeta can probably hear her too, judging by the way he is holding back laughter, and the avox definitely heard as she is backing away swiftly with widened eyes. "I can look past the marriage, even though it's stupid and I just know you'll regret it- Peeta is a lovely young man so I can just about accept that. But if you think for one second that I am going to let you keep this child, you are so wrong, because the moment I next see you I'm taking you straight to a doctor to get rid of it- I don't care about training, I don't care about money and I don't care what you think!" The avox is running now and is soon out of earshot.

"Mom, listen-"

"No, young lady, you listen to me!" She takes a deep breath and sighs. "I will pay for the least painful method, whatever it may be. Just- Just please, realise that getting rid is the best thing to do." Her voice is choked up and she seems to have worn herself out so I grab my chance to explain.

"Mom, there's nothing to get rid of. There is no baby. It's all for the sponsors." Silence. "I know I'm not ready, so does Peeta. We're not even married, that's fake too." I hear a quiet sob and bite my lip. "Are you ok? I'm sorry for worrying you."

"You have no idea how relieved I am right now," my mother says, laughing through her tears.

"You can't tell anybody that it's a ruse, you know that. Our lives are at stake," I say gently.

"I know. I just- phew!" She laughs again. "The amount of trouble I went to to get this call, and there was nothing to worry about! I had no idea that- that tributes were so protected up there." She still struggles with the word, even the second time around. All I want in this moment is to hug her and the fact that I can't is surprisingly painful, so painful that when Peeta's arm wraps around my waist I don't recoil; in fact, I drop my head onto his shoulder, and it feels like the most natural thing in the world. "So I guess I'd better leave you to it, baby," Mom says. Her tears seem to have stopped and I can almost hear her sad smile. "Stay safe, alright?"

"I'll try, Mom." My voice is the one that's teary now. "I'll try."

"Goodnight, sweetie. Come home soon." There is a small beep, telling me that the call was disconnected, and I drop the communicator from my ear and turn even further into Peeta, trying desperately to hold my tears back. I fail miserably and Peeta's soft hand rubs my back soothingly as I dampen the front of his shirt.

"I'm sorry," I mumble.

"There's nothing to apologise for," he replies. He guides me to my room and squeezes me quickly before leaving me to get changed, promising he'll return. When he does come back a few minutes later, we are both in our nightclothes. All my makeup is gone, my nose and eyes are red from the crying and my nightdress doesn't fit me properly; I feel ugly, but the moment he comes to where I lie on the bed and pulls me in I feel as radiant as I did in my fire dress, because that's how I am in his eyes. We lay on the bed together. That's all. We just lay there, close in the calm quiet of night, and it is such a beautiful moment that I never want it to end. So it doesn't. My eyes start to cloud over with the darkness of sleep and a fond memory comes back to me.

"Stay with me," I murmur. I can feel him smile as he remembers too, burrowing closer into the back of my neck.

"Always," he whispers back, and then sleep takes over.

**AN: Wahey, that was actually my own work! ;) I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think by reviewing! x**


	3. Chapter 2

I awaken to a heavy knocking at the door, and am about to move to open it and demand whoever it is go away when the door opens- evidently, Peeta got there before me. It's probably a good job too, otherwise Haymitch wouldn't still be standing there, leaning against the doorframe; he'd be on the floor nursing a black eye.

"What?" Peeta sighs. He clearly didn't want to be woken either.

"Sorry if I interrupted anything," Haymitch says with an irritating smirk on his face, "but I think you two had better come out to breakfast. There's some good news for once." Before either of us can ask him anything, he's off down the corridor with a, "YOU'LL NEED TO HAVE CLOTHES ON!" and a loud guffaw.

"Ugh," I mutter, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. "Good news? What can be good here?" I stand up and make my way to the bathroom before Peeta can counter me, and I hear him sigh as I close the door. Moments later the main door opens and closes and I know he has gone to his own room to shower and dress. I do the same as quickly as possible; as much as it pains me to admit it, Haymitch's promise of information has intrigued me. When I get to the dining room Cinna, Effie, Peeta and Haymitch are all there, and all smiling- all except Peeta, who looks as anxious as I feel. I sit next to him and he immediately clutches my hand; I try not to react, but I must have flinched a little as his face falls and his hand releases mine.

"Right, now you're both here, we can finally tell you!" Effie squeals. I haven't seen her look this happy since way before the Quarter Quell's twist was announced- she's had a constant look of pity since then. "Katniss, the Capitol citizens were... rather upset, at the announcement of your pregnancy. Soooooooo..." She hangs on to the moment. "They've decided to withdraw you from the Games!" Peeta and I both blink a few times, not quite believing it.

"They're- what?" I ask quietly. I can't have heard right.

"You won't be participating this year! Oh, isn't it wonderful? Now we only have to worry about one of you-" she turns to Peeta. "So it's almost certain that you'll come home!" I can't take it in. I won't have to return to the arena after all! And Peeta will come home easily now! It's all too perfect and yet somehow it's real... Until Effie continues, "And Katniss, you'll already be at home- waiting for your victorious husband, with your beautiful baby." She sighs like it's a hopelessly romantic situation and suddenly, it twigs. I'm not actually pregnant.

"What?!" It bursts out before I can stop it. "But- but... Jesus Christ." I jump out of my seat and sprint back to my room, fling myself onto my bed and stare at the ceiling. _This can't be happening. I'm not pregnant. I can't do this! Everybody kicked up such a fuss to keep this baby alive and there is no baby. And now they'll be expecting to interview me, expecting to see how I'm coping with watching Peeta's ordeals when I'm not even sure if I care, expecting to watch the baby growing inside of me... How the hell are the adoring Capitol-ites supposed to coo over my growing baby when there isn't one there? There is no way this can work unless I actually get pregnant, and there is no way that is happening, especially not when my "husband" is in a nightmarish arena! They'll all find out that it was a ruse and we will never be safe- in fact, they'll just cart us all off to die tomorrow!_ The thoughts whir around and around in my brain and I can't find any solution that doesn't cause all of our deaths. There is a quiet knock on my still-open door and my head snaps round to see Cinna standing there looking very, very confused.

"I thought this was a good thing," he says as he enters the room and sits on the bed next to me, staring at the painting on the opposite wall. "Scrap that, this_ is_ a good thing. So why aren't you happy about it?" Cinna could always break through my barriers like a battering ram with the simplest of words. The tears start streaming for the second time since I've been here and I lean on his arm. _Cinna can know, can't he?_

"I'm not pregnant," I whisper. Too late to wait for approval; the secret's out now. "They want to see a baby now that I've been withdrawn and I can't give them that because there isn't one. They'll know it's all fake and we'll all die!" I am still crying but it's quieter now; it is a massive relief that someone else knows the enormity of the situation. Cinna sighs.

"Oh sweetie, this is a mess. A great big mess." He puts a comforting arm around me and offers me a tissue from his pocket, which he reassures me is clean. I wipe my eyes quickly and look up at his ever-calm face. "I think I can help. I have-" Peeta comes rushing to the door.

"Sorry, Effie wouldn't let me go without briefing me on what I'll have to do now. God, she's an ass sometimes." He looks at Cinna and starts the act. "Are you alright, Katniss? What's wrong?"

"Cinna knows," I say simply, and Peeta visibly relaxes. He closes the door as he says:

"Good." He sits on my other side, rests his hand on my lower back. "We need any help you can give us, Cinna. Please."

"As I was saying, I have something I was commissioned to make by a young woman in a rather similar, although less public, situation. It's a prosthetic bump; it's very advanced, the best money can get. It's programmed to grow a little every day so it looks like an actual baby growing." I look up at him with hope in my eyes. "I'd be more than willing to give it to you." I give him the biggest, firmest hug I've ever given anyone. I am at a loss for words.

"Thank you," Peeta manages. "Thank you so much. I- We can never repay you." Cinna simply smiles and shrugs.

"I'm just glad I can help. As for the baby they'll expect at the end of it..."

"We'll think about that when it comes to it," I say, and that's the end of the conversation. Cinna squeezes my shoulder.

"I hope you're ok, at least for now. I have to go and fill Effie in." He stands to leave but I block him with my arm.

"No! Nobody else can know! If the news gets out we'll all be killed, and Effie is the biggest gossip in Panem. Snow himself would know by lunchtime." Cinna takes this in and nods slightly.

"Ok then... Damage control. Peeta, I'm going to need your help with a story."

Peeta nods. He plants a kiss on my cheek and says, "We'll figure it out," before following Cinna back to the dining room. He nearly bumps into the avox coming into my room- the same avox as last night, and holding what seems to be the same communicator. I take it with a false smile and she takes her leave once more to wait outside until I am finished.

"Hello?" I query.

"Katniss, it's your mother again. I've heard the news and you need my help. I'm coming to the Capitol." With that she disconnects and I am left to gawk like a goldfish at the communicator in my hand. _My mother- just what I need!_ My thoughts are dripping with sarcasm as I hand the device back to the avox and return to the dining room myself, feeling more powerless than ever before.


	4. Chapter 3

"Right, I've got a plan." My mother wastes no time. As soon as I open my bedroom door she is right down my throat with her schemes to get me knocked up. Not even me telling her that Cinna has kitted me out with the bump can stop her. Although she gasps in amazement, she's soon over the temporary brilliance of the plan.

"Stop going on about it," she says after I've interrupted her for the third time. Yes, it's brilliant, but- I don't know if you realise this, but that is a _fake_ baby. You need a real one, and fast, because otherwise what will you do in nine months' time? Present the press with a bouncing bundle of air?!" It is all I can do to keep from sighing.

"As if Peeta and I haven't talked this over a thousand times, today alone! If we haven't found a solution by now, we never will," I say again, trying to drill it into her brain somehow.

"Yes, but that was before there was a trained healer in the room!" Oh God. She starts rummaging in the massive bag she has brought with her. "I know methods of conception that you have never even dreamt of, and I intend to start you on one of them as soon as possible."

"Ms Everdeen, I highly-" My mother holds her hand up.

"No arguments, not even from you, Peeta." She carries on searching, leaving Peeta and I to stare at each other in confusion. "Aha!" She cries, making us both jump. She straightens up and shows us what she was looking for. A packet of sterile plastic pipettes is in one hand, and an airtight container in the other.

"This cannot bode well," I mutter to Peeta.

"Just what I was thinking," he mumbles back with a hint of anxiety in his voice.

"Ok. Speaking not as your girl's mother, but as a medical professional, I need to ask you to do something. It is an- an awkward request, but one that is necessary to our cause." She takes a deep breath and my brow furrows. My mother never gets uncomfortable... "I need you to provide me with a semen sample, Peeta." I turn to face him and a burst of laughter escapes from my mouth.

"Sorry," I say when I see my mother's glare, still giggling.

"This is a serious matter, Katniss!" My mother scolds me as if I were Prim's age.

"I know, but have you seen his face?!" A full-on laughing fit threatens and it is unavoidable when I look at Peeta again. He is redder than even the reddest tomato of the Capitol, his eyes are the size of two planets and if his eyebrows get any higher, they'll disappear into his hair completely. He has been shocked into submissive speechlessness.

"Katniss," my mother warns, still completely deadpan.

"Fine," I huff, crossing my arms and swearing to myself not to look at Peeta again until the conversation is over. Hell hath no fury like my mother scorned.

"As I was saying, I need you to fill this container with the biggest sample you can give me." She hands him the jar and I am so tempted to look at his expression, but I manage to keep my gaze fixed on the bathroom door frame just above my mother's head. "We'll need at least, hmm, four or so pipettes' worth for Katniss to use."

"What?" My eyeline drops to meet hers.

"You will be using the pipettes at least four times, I expect. Now, Peeta-"

"Using the pipettes how, exactly?" The feeling of nervousness has returned to the pit of my stomach. Any traces of hysteria have suddenly vanished from the situation. My mother sighs.

"Do you really not understand?" I shake my head slowly, and she sighs again. "You will be using the pipettes and to deliver a measure of Peeta's semen as a method of crude fertilisation, once every month- when you are at your most fertile- to give you the highest chances of conception." I feel my face flush massively.

"That is disgusting. There is no way that am I agreeing to this!" I hiss, furious.

"It does seem a little... makeshift," Peeta adds in, regaining his voice. "I mean, I would have to comply if it was the only way, but... Surely, with the Capitol's technology...?" He trails off.

"It's true that the medics here have much more advanced methods of treatment, but to receive any equipment would mean putting a name on the register. I've done it before for a client from the merchant's town and not only was the registration a lengthy process, but it's closely monitored. They don't give the equipment out to just anyone. They check if you're suitable before they even consider it- if you're part of a stable family and have enough money and so forth. But the crucial part to our arrangements is that you must put a name down for them to check off. Either of your names being found on there would get out to the press and you'd never pass it off."

"Well, couldn't you apply for us?" I'd rather try anything before the primitive pipettes.

"I would, but I'd only be turned down. Being a single mother with two existing children doesn't exactly give me very high chances," she says, sounding a tad helpless.

I place my hand on her arm and say, "We'll try it," just to stop that vulnerable tone. I don't actually think about what I'm agreeing to.

"Excellent!" My mother is back on full form, smile in place. Peeta is looking at me weirdly; he can't believe I've actually said I'll go through with it. Neither can I. "Go on then, Peeta, off you go! We need that sample as soon as possible." Peeta's eyes close in humiliation as he is forced into his own room, but my mother ignores his embarrassment and carries on talking to me, still in full-on healer mode. "Now he's gone, I can ask you- when are you next due your period?"

"Mother!"

"I'm sorry Katniss, but I need to know. It's only medical," she says with a slight frown.

"Fine," I mutter. "...About two weeks' time, I think."

"Right. You're at your most fertile now." My eyes widen. She had said that I had to carry out the 'treatment' when I was most fertile- would I have to do it this soon?! I am regretting agreeing to this more and more with each passing second. "Hmm. I'd better go tell Peeta to hurry up... On second thoughts, I doubt that would help." I don't even want to think about what she might have interrupted had she gone to his room! My mother and I sit in awkward silence for almost ten minutes before Peeta returns, still bright red, and hands my mother the container as discreetly as he can. She gives him a tiny, grateful smile.

"Excellent. I'm sorry, but it really was needed." He nods shortly and turns away from her to look at me. He looks almost guilty as he takes the hand I had no idea I had stretched out to reach for him and kisses it gently.

"I'll see you tomorrow, love." He drops my hand and beams at me before he exits to go to his room, this time for much less embarrassing reasons. I realise I didn't flinch at his term of endearment and smile to myself. Pretending to be married to Peeta really won't be that hard. I realise my mother is still sat next to me.

"Aren't you going home or something?!" If I have to do this treatment thing tonight, I'm not doing it with anyone anywhere near me.

"No. I'm here until the Games are over. I do have my own room in a hotel a couple of blocks away though," she says as she puts the pipettes and the container on my bedside, stands up and opens the door, readying herself to leave.

"But- what about Prim?" I think of her, sat in an empty house all alone, and my temper starts to rise. "What if something happens back home? What is someone tries to hurt her to get at me?!"

"Then I'm sure the Hawthornes will fend them off for her." She takes in my expression. "You didn't think I'd leave her alone in the Victor's Village, did you?" She laughs and says, "No, no, no, she's staying with Hazelle! I would have sent her to stay with Gale and Madge, but I think they're coming here too. They're both ever so worried about you." A pang of longing to see them goes through me. My friends coming to the Capitol is a real blessing. If they were thinking about coming when my mom left, they'd have made up their minds by now, so they'd either not be coming or they'd arrive tomorrow. My heart leaps in anticipation. "Goodnight, darling," my mother says, bringing me out of my reverie.

"'Night, Mom." I rarely use the word and she comes back to hug me before actually leaving for the night, reminding me to use the pipettes as she goes. I grimace, close the door, and sigh as I pick up the equipment from my nightstand and take it into the bathroom. Tonight would not be pleasant.

**AN: That was the most awkward chapter I've ever had to write, ever. I hope it made for pretty awkward reading! Haha, let me know how cringeworthy it was in the reviews ;)**


	5. Chapter 4

I am finishing a luxurious late breakfast of fresh bread and hot chocolate when Effie and Cinna enter the dining room, whispering conspiratorially. I raise an eyebrow at them and Effie comes and sits in the seat to my right.

"Katniss, you've been called to do a second interview with Caesar Flickerman now that you've been withdrawn. Everybody wants to know more about your darling little one," she says with a sickly hope in her voice. She goes to touch my abdomen and I slap her hand away; the look of great offence on her face prompts Cinna to speak from his place in the doorway.

"Baby hormones," he whispers theatrically. "She doesn't mean it, I'm sure." Effie looks much more calm and understanding now and I throw a look of thanks to Cinna over her shoulder. He nods in return.

"It'll be a very different interview to what you're used to," Effie continues. "It's more of a press conference, really, so the crowd will be made up of many reporters who will all ask you questions. They wanted Peeta there too, but I refused to have him miss any more of his training. He needs it if he wants to come out and be a father..." She pauses to take a sip of what I think is coffee. "Right, we need to get moving. The interview is scheduled for two o'clock sharp, and-" she checks her tacky mockingjay watch. "-Goodness! You only have two hours! Cinna, quick, take her away and get to work! I'll call the others immediately." She clicks her fingers to summon a nearby avox.

"Effie, they're already waiting back in the room," Cinna says, smiling at her panic. "Calm down- I'm on it. Come on, Katniss." I rise from my seat, leaving Effie alone to fan herself in an over-the-top manner. As soon as we are out of earshot Cinna speaks again. "I brought the bump with me, so you'll be wearing it today." A flash of nerves rushes through me. "It's still pretty small, but just big enough to show- you'll look about two months gone." He ushers me into my room with a nearly silent,

"Don't tell the prep team!" and then I am in the hands of Venia, Flavius and Octavia once more. They are so delighted at working on me again that they don't stop babbling once; from the joy of me not being dead to the joy of me being pregnant, everything is just too happy to contain. I am bombarded with questions about the baby and the wedding and I have to make up so many answers that it is a wonder I don't contradict myself somehow_. _

_I wish Peeta were here_, I think. _He'd know how to handle this all so much better._ Luckily, I am not sat down for long as the hair is a simple updo and the makeup is just as minimalistic; a touch of deep purple eyeshadow and some clear lipgloss is all they apply. I get up from the seat in front of my dresser, smiling gratefully and making to go to where Cinna awaits me in the bathroom when Flavius blocks my path.

"Nuh-uh, sweetie!" He says, gently untying my robe and removing it. "We're not done with you yet." He spins me back around and I see Venia and Octavia both holding spray bottles containing a powdery liquid that seems to be...

"Is that stuff glowing?!" I sputter apprehensively. I get no answer before the nozzles are trained on my body and the contents are spritzed all over my skin.  
When I finally get to the bathroom I am still naked and I stink of flowers from the shining liquid. I am not happy.

"Why didn't you warn me?" That is all I have to say for Cinna to understand. He still ignores me though, preferring to unbuckle his large satchel and remove the bump. It is flesh coloured and has three complicated-looking straps, which he wraps around me. I hear six sharp clicks before he steps back and admires his handiwork. I look down to see a baby growing inside of me and nearly scream. With the way he has placed and adjusted it, it is so realistic that even my mind is fooled for a moment. It is only the uncomfortable weight of it that stops me from shrieking aloud. Cinna laughs at my wide-eyed reaction and unzips the floorlength garment bag hanging on the back of the closed door.

"Here, let's cover you up before you explode," he says, still chuckling. The dress is the same colour as my eye makeup and just as simple- it is made of a light, airy fabric that skims the floor as I walk around. The one shoulder design is very comfortable and the tight wrap-around style on my bust accentuates the small protrusion from my stomach. The only Capitol touch is a long drape of fabric trailing from the strap to the floor at the back. I smile at Cinna gratefully.

"You're good to go," he says. "And from the anxious knocking at the door that can only be Effie, I'd say that's a good thing." He opens the door to find, not Effie, but the same avox with the same communicator thrust forward yet again. I take it and put it to my ear as Cinna gathers his things and escorts my prep team out. I give them all a wave as I hear a reply to my questioning hello.

"Catnip!" Warmth floods me at the familiar voice.

"Gale," I almost whisper. "Thank God you called, I was about to die from the amount of prep team exposure." He chuckles.

"Glad I could help. I have some news," Gale says. I can hear the smile in his voice.

"Go on," I reply hesitantly.

"Madge and I... We're getting married!" His excitement is adorable. I have been struck speechless. "I got Mayor Under- I really have to get used to calling him Des!" He laughs. "I got Des's blessing about a week ago and I finally proposed last night and, thank goodness, she said yes!" I clear my throat, trying to find my voice again.

"God... Congratulations!" I can't help but smile. "You're perfect for each other." He sighs and I envision him rolling his eyes.

"Jeez, cheesy much?!" We both laugh and I clutch the communicator closer to my ear. I miss his laugh so much; I don't hear it nearly enough these days. "Yeah, we're planning it for about three months- Madge wants a massive ceremony and that takes planning apparently."

"How big is this thing?!" The average wedding in District 12 takes about a week to plan- all you need is a white dress and a piece of bread. Mind you, the mayor's daughter getting hitched isn't something that happens every day.

"Enormous, apparently. We'll have to go out, get some strawberries like old times."

"Sure! I mean, we could go get some from the market when you're here if you wanted-"

"Ah, that's the thing. I don't know if we can make it. Now I've got a wedding to pay for, because I am refusing to let Des pay for it all, I need to work whenever I can. I'm really sorry."

"It's ok," I say, trying to keep the disappointment from my voice. "I understand. I wouldn't make you come here for the sake of your wedding- I couldn't!" I give a small laugh that sounds false even to myself. Gale doesn't seem to notice, or if he does he doesn't show it.

"Not even with a baby, huh?" His lighthearted comment snaps my mind back to the awkward bump and I move it a little, shifting the weight so it's a bit easier to bear.

"Listen Catnip, it's been real good to catch up but I've gotta go- wedding to plan and all!"

"Ok. I'll see you around. Try to get to the Capitol if you can. I-" I sigh quietly. "I miss you."

"Miss you too," he replies, just as quiet. "I'll see you soon, I promise."

"You'd better!" I laugh, before I hear that now-familiar disconnection beep and pass the device back to the avox again. I wonder if she's getting bored of carrying that thing around for me... Maybe I should ask to keep it next time. She leaves and I plonk myself down on my bed, waiting for Effie to come and whisk me away to the unknown that awaits on Caesar's stage.

**AN: This chapter is for pencilholder99, who reviewed for every chapter in the hopes that I would update soon. Well, here it is! I hope everybody liked it, review and stay tuned for the interview!**


	6. Chapter 5

"Thank you for choosing me. May I just say that I simply adore your hair this year, Caesar!" The turquoise-tinted woman gushes. Caesar runs his hand over the top of his slicked back fuschia locks.

"Thank you so much, darling!" Caesar is completely at ease with this kind of audience and interview format, but I'm still trying to get used to it. It's so much more terrifying when you know that people are noting down your every word, ready to be made into tomorrow's news stories. Caesar has been really helpful, scraping answers out of me when I've been too scared to respond and even unknowingly checking that my story all fits together. "Now, your question is..?" He smiles warmly.

"Oh, yes," the blue lady replies. "Katniss, how do you feel about the extended timeline of the Quarter Quell?" Several reporters perk up; it would seem they are all longing for the answer to this question, even though I have no idea what it's about.

"Extended timeline?" I query.

"Have you not heard?" Caesar looks at me with an expression of horror on his face. "Did you not watch the extra broadcast last night?" I smile grimly.

"Not exactly," I say, laughing nervously. "I was... preoccupied, with pregnancy issues." The crowd's split reaction would be funny were I not on a podium in front of them- the men all recoil and squirm where the women gaze on with either longing or sympathy. If only they knew the truth! I have to stifle a laugh.

"Oh, my dear girl!" Caesar exclaims. "I am so sorry to be the one to break this to you, but the Gamemaking team have made the decision that, to add to the Quarter Quell arena's abnormality, the Games will be prolonged for the duration of seven months!" There are a few scattered cheers from the press, quickly muted when my mouth drops open.

"But- but Peeta-" It is all I can do to stammer like a moron.

"I know, it's a very unfortunate circumstance, but what can one do? You'll just have to cope as best you can without him." I do a fast sum in my head, using the facts Cinna and I decided upon, and realise something terrible.

"Caesar, it's not just the separation," I say, real anxiety filling my voice. "It's the fact that I'm already three months pregnant." There is a gasp from everyone in the studio. "That means that, all going to plan, mine and Peeta's child will be born while he is still in the arena." Everyone begins to react as the news truly sets in. Uneasy looks turn into full-blown panic, whispers rise to worried conversations, and I even see two women holding each other in floods of tears. It's not the first-time-father side of things that has me terrified- I know that there's not really a baby- but instead the realisation that Peeta will not be with me to support me through this all. He will not be available to help with any other methods of conception that my mother may concoct. I may actually conceive a child and then have no contact with its father for over half a year. And, most worryingly, he will be completely under Snow's control for all that time. I bite my lip at the painful thought and turn to Caesar. I see not the calm face I was expecting, but a man who cannot look me in the eye. He addresses the camera instead.

"We'll be right back with you, after this short break. Stay tuned for more from our Girl On Fire, Katniss Everdeen!" As soon as we are off the air he plonks himself down in a plush armchair offstage and is handed a bottle of weird-looking liquid, which he gulps down. He clicks his fingers and three girls rush over to him, fanning him rapidly until his flustered look finally fades and he is ready to make his next presentation. The moment he returns to the microphone, the cameras start to roll once more.

"Hello Panem! Caesar Flickerman here again with all the latest on District 12's greatest, Katniss Everdeen!" The audience applauds and cheers. "Now, Miss Everdeen- about your secret nuptials! Could we possibly get a glimpse of your ring?" The wedding themed questions continue for what seems like hours. After questions about everything from the traditions to the dress, the topic finally returns to the one I am prepared for, thanks to a man with a quiff that mimics a leaping horse:

"I was wondering- are you showing yet?" I am suddenly very glad that I put my bump on, even though it is uncomfortable. I smile as I reply, "Yes, a little. Would you like to see?" The crowd roars in delight so I stand up and stretch my dress taught over my stomach, fully flaunting the hopefully-well-placed bump. I can barely hear myself think over the sounds of the cameras and my eyes go funny from the flashing lights in every direction. By the time Caesar quietly taps me, telling me to sit back down, it is all I can do to keep smiling as I gratefully back off and attempt to regain my sense of sight.

"Yes, you with the purple headband?" Caesar points towards a woman and she beams at me.

"Do you have any ideas for baby names yet?" She is practically bouncing. This question has thrown me a little, I'll admit; I didn't think I'd be asked about baby names so early on.

"No, not yet," I reply with a smile, and nod for the next question. Caesar chooses a man with a massive bowtie next: "Is there a possibility of the baby being named after any of Everdeen's Fallen?"

I glance at Caesar, having no idea what he means, and he whispers, "He means, will the baby be named after anyone who died in the Games?"

Oh. I flinch internally at the term. 'Everdeen's Fallen'. Well, it suits the purpose, I suppose. They all died because of me in some way.

My gaze turns down and I don't look up from my lap as I answer, "Those people were part of my past, and this child is my future." I trace my hand across my stomach as if caressing the baby, and I hear cameras clicking away. "Unfortunately, nothing can bring them back, and there are some... unpleasant memories that are tied to them and that- that time in my life. So no. Definitely not." My brain becomes clouded with thoughts of Cato's screams for mercy, the sound of Marvel's body hitting the ground with a sickening squelch as he landed in his own blood that had pooled from the wound in his neck- a wound that I had caused. A shudder racks my body and the bowtied reporter pipes up again.

"Oh, that's too bad. No baby Rue then?" I remember Rue, with her sweet smile and love of music; the little snuggle she did as she buried her small head into my chest in an attempt at sleep; her heartwarming, hopeful expression as I offered her my groosling leg; her swinging from tree to tree, so weightless and angelic that I actually thought she might fly. My throat is thick with tears now.

"Perhaps... Perhaps a middle name would be ok." The reporters go wild. I can barely see and am trying futilely to blink my eyes clear; at the same time, Caesar is trying (just as futilely) to rein the crowds in. Eventually he gives up and announces me once more before escorting me from the stage to where Peeta is waiting for me in the wings- surprisingly, alone for once. He wraps his arm around my waist a little too tightly- he's obviously angry- and leads me away from the chaos in the studio and back to our top-floor lodgings, remaining deadly quiet the whole time. He never once lets go of me. We sit on the sofa together, awaiting Effie and Haymitch's return- goodness knows where they are.

"Katniss," he says after about ten minutes, finally breaking the silence. "We need to talk."

"What about? I thought everything was pretty obvious," I reply, leaning away from him slightly to gauge his reaction.

"It is. There's just one thing that's obvious to me that isn't to anyone else." He takes a deep breath. "I'm not going into the arena."


	7. Chapter 6

I sit there, gobsmacked.

"I'm not going without you," he continues. "I can't. I can't bear it." I sigh heavily and move to comfort him, but slowly. There's no telling how he might react in this worked-up state.

"Peeta, you have to." Before I can touch him he jumps up and backs away from me.

"You just don't get it!" He yells. "I'd die within days! I'd be no good whatsoever." He looks away from me, still fuming and now ashamed, too.

"Don't be stupid! You've got as good a chance as anyone in there- you're strong, you're smart and you're the most recent victor. You'll be as good as it's possible to be!" His gaze snaps back to mine.

"Don't talk crap to me, Katniss. For the first day, I might be alright, but after that I'm screwed. What happens at night, huh? You've never heard me having a nightmare- trust me, they're as bad as yours, if not worse."

"At least you stay quiet," I say stubbornly.

"Oh, I'm not," he says with a sarcastic smirk. "You've only ever seen me sleep when I'm with you. Without you there, I'm a wreck. I flail about; I scream; I moan; I lash out at anyone who tries to wake me up. You can ask my mother, she's slapped me out of it enough times." He starts to pace the room, hands gripping the back of his hair like a lifeline. "The Careers will find me, wherever I am, and I'll be dead within seconds. They'll be even worse than normal, knowing you're still in the Capitol having to deal with all the press and the pregnancy and everything else." He makes his way back to where I sit, scowling like never before. "I need to be with you," he says, sinking to his knees in front of me and gently caressing my face. "I can't make it on my own, Katniss. Please don't make me go in there, because I can guarantee I won't come out." His head drops onto my lap and I soothe him as best I can.

"I'm sorry, Peeta," I say quietly. "There's nothing I can do. You think if there was we'd still be in this mess?" I feel him smile sadly and sigh.

"Of course not," he murmurs, turning his head to the side. "I just can't do this!" He gets up again and stands by the dining table, fiddling with the artificial flowers on display in the centre of it. "I need to know that you're safe and happy and healthy." He whips around suddenly. "Katniss... This is all Snow's plan. He wants us dead, of course, it all fits!"

"I'm not following you," I say, my head sinking into my hands.

"Snow hates us both. There's no speculation about that," he says. "He hates us enough that he wants us dead- that's why he's fixed the Quell like this, yeah?" I nod. All I can think about is how badly I need to shut him up before Effie and Haymitch get back, which could be any moment now. If Effie, poor clueless Effie, hears him speaking about Snow like this... "He's fixed all of this too. He's drawing the Games out on purpose, to get to you!"

Ohhhhh. Peeta's brainwave is no news to me; I knew immediately that Snow was keeping Peeta in the arena to spite me. Still, he's only just twigged, and on and on he rants. I get up and cross to where he stands, still arguing his case. I place my hands on his shoulders, leaning in close.

"Peeta," I whisper, stopping him in his tracks. "You're preaching to the choir." And with that, I close the distance between our lips. Instantly the spark of the last kiss in the cave is back. The man stood in front of me is the sweet Peeta I know- the boy with the bread, not the Capitol's angry creation. We are perfectly in sync, practically one entity; this is a kiss with chemistry that doesn't need to be faked. When we finally break apart, it is with regret.

"I know everything, and we are gonna fight back," I say breathlessly, my face only inches from his. "But not by causing more trouble by trying to withdraw you. Look," I continue before he can interrupt. "We're going to have a baby. I'm making sure of that. And that baby will be so loved by the Capitol's citizens that if Snow so much as says one sentence against it or its family, there would be uproar again. And that's the last thing he wants!" I kiss him again, quickly this time, fuelled by passion in the heat of the moment rather than slowly built-up worry and tension. "It's going to work! We're going to outsmart him!"

"That. That right there. That is why I have to fight against him! We've beaten him before and we can do it again. I'm not going." He doesn't sound nearly as convinced as last time. I rest my forehead against his and he exhales, exhausted.

"C'mon, let's go to bed," I say. "You need your rest for tomorrow's training." I've done enough that he doesn't deny his fate other than to sigh softly. I give him a playful shove and he staggers forward, laughing and waiting for me to overtake him so he can return the favour.

Sometimes I really wish we could actually be together.

**AN: I love Everlark so much. Sorry this chapter was a little shorter than normal- there's a big shock to come in the next chapter to make up for it! Reviews make me update faster... ;)**


	8. Chapter 7

Every day our routine is the same: I wake up, I see Peeta to the training room, I go back upstairs and I do some form of press coverage. After many hard hours, Peeta comes back from training. He eats dinner with us, he kisses me on the cheek, and he goes to bed. Every day. Every. Single. Day. I am about to scream with the monotony when before I know it, fourteen samey days have passed and it is time for the Gamemakers to snatch Peeta away from me for 7 months. I hold in the tears so that he can too; I know he needs to look strong the moment he appears at the Cornucopia. He is taken from me far too quickly for my liking and I am ushered by Haymitch into a large hall with the mentors. They all stare at a massive screen, showing a countdown. We join them and stare too, watching the flashing numbers get smaller and smaller.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

They're surrounded by water.  
Peeta can't swim.  
Nor can many other tributes, but they almost all make it to land.

I watch the Games every day.

A month passes. Peeta lives on, protected by his strong alliance with District 4's tributes- an elderly woman named Mags and a young man, Finnick. The tribute count stands at 20. The only deaths so far have been those of the other Careers, because they were the only ones brave enough to venture into new territories- new territories which all contained unimaginable horrors. Everyone's staying on the move, not wanting to stay still for too long in case of savage twists because the kill count is so low. They expect to be pushed together and forced to fight at any moment... But they aren't. It seems even the Gamemakers have tired of the everlasting Games.

Peeta, Finnick and Mags have figured out what the rest of the tributes have not. They know, like the viewers, that the arena is a clock with each section containing a timed terror, waiting for an unfortunate tribute to wander into its midst at the right time.  
Nobody does.

I still watch the Games every day.

Another month goes by. The tributes are restless now, tired of the never-ending anxiety and wanting to go home at any cost. Only six now remain; eleven of the thirteen deaths were suicides, people wanting to escape the arena by any means.

One of the eleven was Mags.

None of them were Peeta.

The amount of pressure from the press is now immense. Everyone wants a glimpse of the star-crossed lovers' unborn child. I turn as many things down as I can, especially the ones that involve me leaving my lodgings. I can't watch over Peeta from outside.

I want to watch the Games every day.

With the third month comes worry, more worry than ever before. People are losing interest in the Games, preferring to watch ridiculously dramatic soap plotlines that twist and turn but always end up happy. So the Games aren't shown every day, just once a week on a Saturday night- the same time as all the talk shows I am forced to participate in.

I can't watch the Games every day.

By the fourth month, my fear threatens to overwhelm me. Twice I have found myself screaming at the screen on the sporadic Saturday night when I am free to watch the Games as they continue. It is now down to just Finnick and Peeta, but still the Games do not end.

I know Peeta won't kill Finnick. He doesn't have it in him.

All I can do is wait until Finnick kills Peeta, which could be at any moment.

I couldn't bear to see his death.

I can't watch the Games at all.

* * *

"Still no baby this month," I say to my mother. She has popped round to collect me from my lodgings; she wants to distract me from my fear for Peeta and the press is anxious to catch another glimpse of me and my "bump"- they've scarcely seen me for the last four months while I've been glued to the Games. My mother and I are planning to be seen shopping for baby clothes today and she is so preoccupied with stuffing her things into her tiny bag that it takes a moment for the news to sink in fully.

"Not again, Katniss." She sighs as if it's my fault.

"I can't help it! I'm doing everything you told me to!" I flush, and not entirely because of the memory of the crude instructions. In reality, while I completed the 'procedure' for the previous two months, I have not so far this time. I can only hope that I keep the guilt out of my expression. I turn away from her to pick up the bump from the bed. "I need to get dressed," I mumble.

"Alright." She finally fastens her purse and starts heading out. "I'm going to have a word with Effie before we set off," she says, "see how many reporters she can rummage up for us. I'll tell her where we're going and when."

I mutter some consent in reply and she leaves, allowing me the privacy to change and attach the now considerably larger stomach. I turn away from the door, still conscious that she might return. I am clicking the last strap into place when I hear the door bang open, ricocheting from the dresser it hit with massive force.

"Do you mind?!" I exclaim, whipping around to face my mother- wait, no, not my mother...

"Gale!" I start to move toward him, planning on hugging him like never before, when I realise he's staring at me. "What..?" I follow his eyeline to my stomach, where the fake bump hangs awkwardly, not yet fully attached nor covered by my maternity shirt.

Shit.

**AN: Whoa! Gale! Where did HE come from?! Heh... I feel like all I do is ask you guys for reviews but they motivate me better than anything else to write more, and I like to know if you're actually enjoying reading this. So please review! Thank you all :) xox **


	9. Chapter 8

I pull my top down as fast as I can but it is too late; his jaw is still halfway to the floor and he gapes at me like it's the first time he's ever seen another person. I sink onto the bed behind me, feeling the now-familiar burn of tears. He takes his disbelieving eyes off me for long enough to come into the room and close the door behind him before he comes to sit next to me.

"Katniss," he finally says. "What the hell do you think you're playing at?!" All I can do is shake my head. "You do realise if anyone finds out- finds out-"

"Finds out what?" I can't help but play innocent- I'm so used to lying about it all that can't come clean even to my best friend.

"No, that there is no baby! How do you expect to deal with this?" His tone is angry now, and something within me snaps.

"I have no fucking clue. You reckon I think that using a pretend bump is gonna work? You reckon my pretend husband pretending to be a fighter when actually he's the sweetest person I know might pay off in that awful arena? He couldn't even hurt a fly!" I'm borderline hysterical, and the tears are flowing again. "He couldn't even hurt me. He never could, never _would_, not even now with all this pretending shit I've put him through that he doesn't deserve a bit of." I give a short, maniacal laugh.

"And all because he's the first person I've ever fallen in love with and I can't deal with it!" The confession is long overdue, and the odd feeling of guilt that comes with it breaks my hysteria into helplessness. "Why isn't it all how it's supposed to be? It's all supposed to be pretend- it's all- it's all just pretend, right?!" I have completely broken down. No matter how hard I try I just can't stop crying, nor the words flooding out of my mouth. "It's not like we aren't trying for a baby," I say, detaching the uncomfortable and- for now- unnecessary prosthetic bump. "I have to do this horrible- this horrible process every month but it's just not working! So I have to use this," I say, gesturing to the bump. "I have no choice; I have to keep them happy and I can't do that because Peeta and I- maybe we aren't compatible or something, or maybe someone in control hates us, but for whatever reason we can't conceive. We just can't. And I'm sure it's all my fault somehow."

I've run out of steam now and my tear ducts are starting to run dry; I hear myself taking pathetic little sobbing breaths that I try hard to stop. My sanity rejoins me and I realise the full extent of what I just revealed. "I'm sorry," I mumble. Poor Gale, he was barely even in the door before I unloaded my extraordinarily heavy baggage onto him. I look to his face to check his reaction and I'm startled to see that he looks not taken aback or even amused as I expected him to.

"Madge and I... We can't have a baby, either." He looks so heartbroken, staring at the bump in my hands. "We've been trying for months, before we got married even, but it never worked out." I see the ring from the wedding I was unable to attend glinting on his left hand when he raises it to his head and runs it through his hair. He takes a deep breath, steadying himself. I've never seen him this upset, not even when we talked of our fathers as children. I take his hand, trying to comfort him however I can. "We've been expecting twice, but the longest the baby made it was three months. Madge went to some specialist about it, she was that desperate. She said she's on the list for this fancy Capitol treatment but the doctor said it's unlikely that she'll ever carry full term." Tears burn in his eyes. "Something wrong with the shape of her uterus..? I don't remember exactly, it was a while ago." He's swallowing so often now, it's a wonder he's not crying already. I guess he built the same harsh barriers as I did all those years ago. I pull him in for a hug, dropping the bump to the floor, no longer caring about anything but trying to help him. We stay there for a long time, consoling each other by just being there for one another.

"Look at us," I say, pulling away from him and laughing feebly. "The biggest, bravest hunters in District 12 reduced to snivelling messes that can't even work up the courage to use a pipette."

"Huh?" His brow furrows slightly.

"Oh, it's part of the conception plot my mother dreamed up." I roll my eyes.

"And you haven't done it yet?" I shake my head.

"Not this month, anyway."

"Why?!" The look in his eyes is incredulous.

"I'm scared, Gale," I whisper. "I'm not ready to be a mother. What if we do actually conceive? Even though I- I love-" I sigh. I still can't say it outright. Not if I think about it first. "I'm just not ready." Gale shoots me a look.

"Madge would kill for the chance you've been given, you know that?" He stands up. "She's been through hell trying for a baby and you've got one at your fingertips- but you won't take it." He shakes his head in disapproval and goes to glare out the window.

"Gale, I'm seventeen," I say defensively. "I'm not married, I don't have my own home and I'm not ready or willing to raise a child in this world." Gale remains silent. I am just about to ask him to leave when he turns around, wonder dawning in his eyes.

"Do this process thing," he says. I begin to protest but he carries on. "Do it, and if you conceive, give the child to us." I ponder this for a moment. "Nobody in the Capitol has to know," he continues. "It all works out! Please, Catnip," he pleads. "It would mean so, so much." I bite my lip, still worried about other aspects- what the baby would do to my body, the hype surrounding its birth. Surely they are outweighed by the happiness of my friends?

"Ok," I finally reply, and Gale sweeps me from the bed and lifts me up, spinning me round in his arms as we both laugh. He puts me down, kissing me on the cheek.

"You're sure?" His eyes search mine for any traces of doubt.

"Yes. 100%." I realise that it's actually not a lie. Gale's grin impossibly increases in size.

"Thank you," he says ecstatically as he practically runs to the door. "I've got to tell Madge!" He leaves, and I hear from his footsteps that he's sprinting down the hallway. I smile to myself and grab the equipment, ready to try using it for the fifth time, this time actually hoping something might come of it.

**AN: Yay, everything's sorted... Or is it? *dun dun duuuuuuuun!* Find out in the next chapter, which will surely come faster if you review. ;D Thank you for reading! :) x**


	10. Chapter 9

I am doomed to die.

I can't conceive a baby with Peeta. I've been trying for so many long months now, and nothing has worked. Even if I somehow managed to conceive now it wouldn't matter- the baby would arrive far too late to pass for the one that the Capitol is expecting. The only thing I could possibly do now is adopt, and I would have to adopt within my tiny circle of friends. I could never trust anyone else with anything this big. And are any of my friends pregnant? No. Even if they were, would they give up their child- to me, of all people? No.

I am doomed to die.

The calls for interviews have slowed dramatically now that my false bump is so much bigger; nobody in the Capitol is interested in a fat woman with only complaints of an aching back and morning sickness to offer up. They'd have picked back up double time when the baby was born, and triple time when Peeta was out of the arena, too. That is, assuming he made it out alive. He's so close, and yet so far. I know he'd rather sacrifice himself than murder in cold blood.

The thought that he might not come back to me makes me sick to my stomach, but I have to ignore it as best I can and get on with life. I have duties to fulfil, and unfortunately the biggest one right now is meeting with my mother and Cinna every day to try and muster up a get-out clause somehow. We just sit in practical silence for an hour or so before one of us- normally me- gives up and walks out. Today's meet up is in five minutes, and I am making my way slowly to the dining room where we gather in hope of answers.

I walk weirdly with the foreign bump attached to me; I must wear it all times now, just in case anyone walks in. They do that a lot lately, Snow's men- they just turn up at any random moment and ask a few mundane questions before leaving again. I think it's to check on my pregnancy, though Cinna says that's me being paranoid. I think they can smell a rat. Luckily they haven't gone so far as to ask to see my bump; the closest to that was when they asked to touch it, which was a terrifying experience. It took everything I had to not flinch away. Someone else I have to keep pleased is Effie, who likes to pop in when she has a spare minute.

I push open the door to the dining room; my mother and Cinna are already sat down and they watch me waddle to my seat awkwardly. Cinna kindly pulls my chair out for me and I give him a rare smile.

"So," Mom says, as she always does.

"So," Cinna repeats as he sits back down.

"So," I echo. I am met with a lingering silence. After little under a minute, my mother's personal communicator bleeps, and she excuses herself to pick up the call.

"I wish I could get one of those," Cinna says quietly.

* * *

"Hello," Natalie Everdeen answered her communicator as soon as she was out of the room. "Is everything ok?"

"Perfectly fine, as far as I know," The girl's voice replied. "I've made my decision. I'm giving you the baby."

"Oh, honey..." Natalie Everdeen's relief was clear. "Thank you so much." A few moments of silence passed and when Mrs Everdeen spoke again, she was much more guarded. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I never wanted anything to do with it, you knew that," she said quietly. "I'm too young, I'm too poor, I hate the father..."

"I know, sweetie, I know," Natalie replied, her tone of voice soothing. "But it's a big decision to make on a whim. How much have you thought about this, honestly?"

"It's all that's been on my mind, ever since you asked me all those weeks ago." Natalie still couldn't believe it. She remained speechless and the girl carried on. "I'd like to know the parents. I mean, if that's allowed. I'm... kinda curious about it. I want to see how it grows up, you know?" She struggled to sound like she had no attachment to the child and it made Natalie's chest throb.

"Of course, that's perfectly fine. I'll make sure of that." She finally allowed a smile to break free and it reigned supreme across her face. "I'll never be able to thank you enough for this."

"Just... Just let me know where it is. And make sure that it's cared for. That's all I want."

"That's ensured from the day it's born with the parents you're giving him or her to." She paused, deciding to trust her generous patient wholly, before continuing. "It'll be here in the Capitol for a few weeks before- before coming back to District Twelve, actually."

"Oh!" The surprise Natalie heard was happy. "So they'll be close to me?""They'll be even closer to me," Mrs Everdeen said quietly. "Next door, in fact." The young girl on the other end gasped.

"You mean... Katniss... The baby will be hers?"

"Yes." Natalie's voice was a whisper. She couldn't risk being heard by anyone but her daughter and the stylist next door, and even then, the girl might want to stay anonymous.

"Oh God, did she miscarry?!" The girl's voice fills with panic.

"No, no, she- it's a long story, one that we'll explain once you get to the Capitol."

"I'm coming to the Capitol? Oh my God!" The delight in her voice made Mrs Everdeen's smile grow. "When? I can come, I can come tomorrow! How long for?! Days, weeks- months?"

"Tomorrow sounds good to be honest," Natalie admitted. "I'll sort your permission and pass out from this end tonight. And you'll need to stay until the baby is here. Then your time is your own again." She took a deep breath. "You- you cannot speak of this to anyone. _Anyone_. If this gets out-"

"Oh God, I understand completely," the girl gushed. "I won't breathe a word. My lips are completely sealed. I'll be..." She stops to think. "I'll be passing on pregnancy tips to my old friend. That's almost true." An awkward laugh came from both ends of the call. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Dr Everdeen."

"Yes. I'll meet you at the train station. Wear sunglasses and a hat of some sort, and something that hides your figure as much as possible."

"That'll be hard, at over eight months pregnant, but I'll try."

"It's just in case the press are there, which they probably will be. Prepare yourself." There was very little humour in Natalie's words. "Thank you. Thank you for everything." The girl sighed.

"You're welcome. Thank _you_. You've made this a lot easier for me." Her chest ached once more for the poor girl's plight. "Goodbye."

"Bye, honey." The callers both signed off.

* * *

"...and it's silly!" Cinna rounds off his 'I-want-a-communicator' speech with a flourish. I sigh.

"The only people who have personal communicators are doctors," I reply nonchalantly. "They just _had _to give Mom one, just in case there are any problems with the Baby On Fire." I roll my eyes. Cinna laughs and I join in, perhaps a little hysterical. Still, it feels good. It's been too many days since I forgot my impending death sentence for long enough to laugh. We dwindle into silence and stay quiet until Mom re-enters the room, a huge smile on her lips and happy tears in her eyes.

"We're gonna be ok," she says ecstatically. "I've found you a baby."

**AN: ERMAGAWSH YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! Over 100 reviews! Thank you all so, so much :D And thank you for being so patient over the summer!  
In response to chattygleek's and shadowofmyself435's question (how would Katniss pull off having the baby over 2 months later than expected?)- Katniss would have claimed she didn't want the baby in the eyes of the media while she and Peeta grew accustomed to having a child, so she'd stay away from the press for a few months. Then when she did emerge she'd just say the baby was small for its age. As she's no longer having to try, the plan will never be put into action. But who do you think the mystery mother is? Leave your guesses in the reviews! ;) Thank you for reading! x**


	11. Chapter 10

Even though my stomach is flipping, my hands are shaking and my heart is beating at least twice as fast as normal, I feel calmer than I have done for weeks as I wait for my saviour to arrive. Mom still hasn't revealed her identity to me, saying something about how- even now- patient confidentiality still stands. Personally, I think she just wants to keep me hanging for a bit longer. I don't mind so much- she found me a solution that I was starting to think was non-existent, and that's more than enough for me.

Add the end of the Games fast approaching to the imminence of my soon-to-be-known hero and you have one extremely happy Katniss. Peeta and Finnick have been alone in the arena for over three months, and on the few occasions that I've managed to watch the Gamemakers' Special that has replaced the weekly showing- it's basically a talk shown with Caesar, Claudius and Plutarch that features only a few short clips of footage now that the only tributes left are allies- they have heavily hinted that they will both be allowed to live if they have not killed each other by the final scheduled day, seeing as "last year's shared victory was a hit." This should really piss me off; they've kept Peeta (and Finnick for that matter) in that hellhole for months, wondering what would happen, whether either of them would ever escape, and all the while the Gamemakers have known they'd both be fine. But I can't find it in myself to be angry right now.

I pace the short length of the apartment, waiting for a knock on the door, and eventually it comes. Quiet as a mouse, but there. I propel myself towards the sound, tearing the door back in one swift move to reveal...

"Hey, Katniss," Mom says. I shoot her a look, chewing my lip in annoyance. "What?!"

"You know what," I mutter. "I got excited. I've been pacing all morning, waiting for you to arrive with..." Her eyebrow has raised and I drift off.

"Katniss. Don't lie. I saw you at the mall today."

"Oh, you know what I meant!" We both fall silent for a moment. "Even then," I defend myself, "I was only buying a present. For her. It's a, uh, it's a necklace." I pause, seeing if my mother approves. She smiles. "I could never repay her enough for what she's doing for us, but I thought I could at least make a start." Mom shakes her head slowly, her smile growing melancholy.

"That's surprisingly sweet of you Katniss, but I'm afraid you won't get to meet her for another few days yet. Her train was delayed." My eyes close in disappointment. Yet more hours of torture, waiting for her to arrive and waiting to be able to fully acknowledge that we have actually been saved. When I open them again, Mom's laughing quietly to herself.

I give her a glare that seems to say, _"What? What are you so happy about? What brings you joy in this horrid, suspense-filled turn of events?!"_

"Katniss, she's just outside." Her giggle grows louder. I hit her lightly on the arm, laughing along with her as relief floods through me. She steps aside and I move into the hallway, still smiling but more than a little nervously now.

What if it's someone I despise? What if it's, more likely, someone who despises me?! So much could go wrong and yet I can't help but pick up speed when I see the hooded figure sat on the plush sofa in the corridor.

Her jumper is baggy, but even so her pregnancy is visible. Her hood is pulled down right over her eyes and her shiny sunglasses cover most of the rest of her face. The only thing truly visible is her mouth, familiar lips that are a bit too full to fit her small-ish face. Her chubby cheeks make her look young... very young. Perhaps that's why she doesn't want her child; perhaps she's only a child herself. I approach her slowly, cautiously, not wanting to make her jump or anything; she seems very absorbed by the wall opposite her.

"Hi," I murmur. She jolts despite my subtlety, and her head snaps round to me. She breathes a small sigh of relief, almost a laugh, and her plump lips curve into a tiny smile. A tendril of curly blonde hair falls from beneath her hood and she pushes it back as she takes off her sunglasses.

"Hi," Delly Cartwright murmurs back. "Long time no see."

**AN: Hey guys! I know, I know, I didn't update for years because I SUCK and now I finally have updated and it's really short and ahhhhh. Yeah. I'm gonna try to make it up to you though! As you probably know, as of tomorrow it is NaNoWriMo, and while I'm not participating this year I will be doing something- I will be updating at least once a week in November! Yay! Well, I'll try to... Right, If I don't update at least 3 times by December 1****st**** you can give me forfeits in the reviews and I'll do whatever's suggested the most, so long as it's feasible! You have it in writing. ;) Soooooooooooo, it was Delly! Did you guess right? Please review, it makes my day! Much love x**


	12. Chapter 11

**MYSTERY MOMMY**

**Yesterday we gave you the scoop on a young woman that we spotted at the train station- a special arrival for soon-to-be mom Katniss Everdeen, escorted to her apartment by none other than Natalie Everdeen (Katniss's mom and personal OB/GYN). Well, thanks to an anonymous source, Capitol Couture can now give you this exclusive snap of the lady herself! And look at her baby bump! Who is this mysterious mother, and what is she doing here in the Capitol? Vote what you think:**

I stare at the poll underneath the image of Delly's pretty-much obscured face. The options gleam on the shiny tablet screen, showing the Capitol's speculations. The most popular option by far is that she's helping me with ante-natal things- I don't know why they think I'd need it when my mom is here as a sort-of-qualified healer, but I'm not one to argue with them when they've served me a cover story on a plate. I flick to the next article only to find an item on Finnick Odair and why he's more likely to win the Games than Peeta; I immediately lock the tablet and resist throwing it across the room. Instead I place it gently on my bedside table, next to the box that contains Delly's present.

I plan to give it to her tomorrow morning- she went straight to her bedroom when she arrived yesterday so she could settle in and I didn't see her again until dinner tonight. It didn't seem right to flaunt more of the luxuries I am exposed to when she was still marvelling over the fact that there was enough to feed all of us on the table.

I sit in bed for a minute, for some reason reluctant to go to sleep just yet, until I give up and pick up the tablet again.I unlock the screen, pressing the back button to close the horrid article, and open up a game; it's a racing game, old enough that it has the image of an aged car rather than an up to date model driving across the screen. Peeta once told me what car it was- I think he said it was an Audi R8 or something- but in any case, it looks pretty ancient.

I am turning the final corner of the track when there is a quiet knock on my door. I pause the game. Who could want me at this time of night?

"Come in," I say softly. The door is slowly pushed open by none other than Delly. Her hair is crazy and her eyes red and puffy. An awkward silence hangs as she closes the door behind her. "Are you ok?" It is a stupid question- she obviously isn't, judging by the state she is in and the fact that she's come to me of all people.

"Sort of," she murmurs, swallowing loudly. "I guess- I just miss home." A dam seems to burst and a sob wracks her body. I sit staring. _I don't know what to do!_ I think. _Peeta, I need you!_ I almost feel like crying myself. I put the tablet on my bedside table again and pat the bed beside me.

"Come here," I say, my tone hopefully reassuring. She plonks herself down, her head in her hands.

"I don't even know why," Delly gets out. "I mean- I have everything, _everything_ I could ever want here. Everything this little one could ever want." She caresses her enlarged stomach. "But it's not- it's not-"

"It's not home." She glances up at me and a look of painful understanding crosses between us. She leans over to hug me, moving slowly with her heavy bump. I hug her back as best I can, squeezing a little before letting her go again. "I know it's not brilliant in District 12, but at least everything's familiar. And the ribbon shop in town is the only thing so bright it hurts your eyes." She lets out a small chuckle, wiping her cheeks. I pause, turning to the box on my bedside. Maybe the gift could cheer her up.

"This is pretty bad timing, really," I say, picking up the velvet box. "I guess the last thing you want is something else to remind you of where you are. But here." I hand the box to her, and she looks at me questioningly. "It's for you. Open it." She does and as soon as she sees the glittering diamond set on the silver chain her eyes widen to almost the same size as the gem.

"Oh, my goodness... Katniss!" She turns it this way and that, admiring the rainbows reflecting around and inside the jewel. "It's beautiful... Absolutely stunning." She gives it back to me. "There's no way I can take this."

"Then there's no way I can possibly take your child." I hold the box out to her again, eyebrows raised slightly, and she frowns a little, hesitating before taking it back.

"You looked so much like your mother then," she murmurs quietly. "She always tells me what to do, too." I laugh, a small, breathy laugh that's close to a sigh. "Thank you so much," she whispers, still frowning slightly. The frown dissipates as soon as she fastens the clasp behind her neck. "I'll never take it off!" She laughs a little and so do I.

"I doubt it'd be very comfortable to sleep with," I muse. Delly lets out a snort. "Not like that!" I feel my cheeks redden and Delly laughs harder.

"I know, I know!" She looks into my eyes earnestly as she removes the necklace and puts it back into its velvet box. "Thank you, Katniss." I can tell she doesn't just mean for the necklace.

"You're more than welcome. Thank _you_."

"I'd better go back to my room. Natalie- your mom, I mean- she often comes to check on me." She grins knowingly and I smile back.

"Goodnight, Delly," I say as she gets up and, being extremely careful to mind both her box and her tummy, opens the door.

"Night, Katniss." She blows me a kiss and closes the door behind her. I slip down underneath my duvet, feeling the warmth encompass me. I have just enough sense left to reach out and turn the light off before rolling over.

_I hope Delly's okay now,_ I think. _I really do. _

**AN: I suck and even the threat of punishment can't make me write. :L Ok, so start sending your forfeits in! Popular ones I've seen in other situations like this one include:  
Making me write a one shot about a pairing that I hate...  
Not allowing me to make Tumblr posts for a week by monitoring it...  
Make me do the Accent Challenge thing and film it...  
Yeah. You can ask for any of those, or something of your own, but remember- if you like one you see and want me to do it, you need to review saying I should otherwise I won't know! (What am I letting myself in for?!)  
Anyway, I hope the new chapter was worth the wait, and I'm really sorry I'm so crap at updating. Thanks old readers for continuing to follow this- it really means a lot to me- and thanks to new readers for giving me a chance! x**


	13. Chapter 12

"Katniss!"

I am running before my mother has even finished yelling my name.

"Katniss, its time," she shouts as I practically skid into Delly's room, stopping for a moment to catch my breath before hurrying over to hold her hand.

"Really this time?" I ask her. For the last week, Delly has been getting mild contractions every twenty minutes or so, and every time they quickened or intensified (I could remember four) we would rush to her aid.

"Yes, really," my mother says, slightly breathless. "She's almost fully dilated." Her smile reveals the excitement beneath her fear, and my stomach flips.

"How come? I mean, how come we weren't here earlier? Surely the contractions-"

"I was trying to keep quiet," Delly says through gritted teeth. "I thought I'd caused enough trouble for you guys- ahh!" She gasps in pain and squeezes my hand, and I gently push her hair from her face. Tears are welling up in her eyes.

"Shh," I say. "It's ok, we're here now, you're gonna get through this." The tears slowly roll down her face. She adamantly wipes them away, taking a deep breath. "That's right," I murmur, "you're doing so well." My mother moves over to check beneath the blanket that covers Delly from the waist down.

"Alright, honey. You're gonna need to push on your next contraction." Her eyes widen in fear and more tears come. "Squeeze Katniss's hand, it's what she's there for, and think about your beautiful baby. Ok?" Delly hesitates, then nods twice. She carries on breathing deeply, trying to calm herself I think, for just under a minute before her eyes squeeze shut and the pressure increases on my hand until it feels like she is crushing my bones and a long, guttural noise that I had no idea could come from a human being escapes her throat and then it is over and I can flex my fingers and try to regain some feeling in them.

"Sorry," Delly pants.

"Don't worry about it." My voice is strangled and I wince as blood reaches my fingertips. Just as my hand starts to stop tingling she is grabbing me again and I can only imagine how intense the pain must be for her when this tiny, inconsequential movement is causing my eyes to water. Her screech of pain ends in a sob and I stroke the back of her hand soothingly.

"I can't, Katniss," she cries. "It's too much, I can't do this, I really can't!"

"You can," my mom says. "God knows how many women have done this before you, women smaller and weaker than you too- you can do this. C'mon, sweetie, push."

What seems like hours later, the baby finally crowns. I nearly cheer when my mother announces it to us and Delly looks pretty pleased too, through the tears. I can feel my hand starting to bruise already but I dare not complain- Delly is in far worse pain and I know that. My mother tells her that the next part is the hardest; she must push the shoulders through. She clenches her fingers around mine once more and I know that another contraction must have come, and though Delly's growl of pain is an ear-splitting screech this time, she seems to have done well by the time it is over.

"Well done, darling! Shoulders are out! One last push..." My mother doesn't get to finish her sentence before Delly is off again, pushing and pushing with all her might until finally it is all over. She visibly relaxes. I hear a strange noise- my mother clamping and cutting the umbilical cord- before she lifts a bloodied bundle from the bed, cleaning it off with a dark green fluffy towel. She smiles, her face full of wonder as she proclaims, "You have a beautiful little boy." Delly gasps quietly as she continues to sob.

My mom wraps the now-much-cleaner baby in a fleecy blue blanket and places him in Delly's arms. She laughs through her crying, looking at me, urging me to join her. I raise my head, peeking over the top of the blanket.

It's... sweet, I guess. It's hard to think of something that looks so much like a drowned rat as 'cute'. Still, something maternal inside me bursts open as I look at the child and I know that I would do anything to protect him, especially now I've seen how much we went through to have him.

Delly holds him close to her, murmuring to him, and I start to well up a little. I give a small smile to Delly, silently congratulating her, and she relinquishes her hold on the child, offers him to me. I take him, feeling his warmth through the blanket.

Studying him this closely, it's clear he will be beautiful when he grows. He has a small button nose, a slight scattering of freckles across his nose already- I assume from his mother- and the biggest grey eyes I've ever seen. The colour of the Seam, not Delly's rare warm brown. Once more I wonder who the father of this child is, but I can't ask- one of Delly's more explicit conditions was that we didn't enquire as to how the child came to be, that we just accepted that it had. The baby had Delly's eye shape though- round as coins, with insanely long lashes.

"He's gorgeous, Delly," I say quietly.

"I know," she murmurs back. My mother comes up and takes the child off to be weighed and to check his health, and we are left to sit slightly stunned in near silence.

"Did you- did you think of any names?" I look into her eyes, much drier than they had been moments before. "I think you should name him. It seems right." She takes my non-aching hand lightly.

"Together. We'll name him together." We smile at each other.

"Okay. I'll admit, I don't have any in mind," I say sheepishly, "but maybe if you did I could help choose one..?"

"Sounds good," she grins. "I was thinking either Aeden or... I like the name Cel, but it seems like it needs to be longer. Cel sounds like a nickname."

"I know what you mean. I like that too though," I agree. "How about- Celling? No. Uh, Cellath? Celsey?"

"Cellath." She takes a moment, silently mouthing the word. "Cellath. I like Cellath."

"Cellath it is then." I beam at her and she beams right back, her smile impossibly growing when the baby is handed back to her.

"Hello, Cellath," she says softly. "Mommy loves you. And so does other Mommy." She chuckles. "Welcome to the world, little man."

**AN: I'm sorry for any medical inaccuracies, I'm not a doctor or a mum! :L I noticed nobody posted any forfeits last chapter... Either you love me too much or you forgot, haha! Get your suggestions in! ;D Reviewing makes my day, thank you so much :) x**


	14. Chapter 13

"He's beautiful, he really is," I sigh. I had completely forgotten about my deal with Gale- that was, until he called me out of the blue to check on the baby situation.

"You can tell he's ours- Peeta's hair, my eyes..." As much as I trust Gale, Delly does not. She insisted on me telling him that Cellath is truly mine and Peeta's child and, after all the help she'd given me, I could hardly refuse. Goodness knows how on earth it will go down when she realises Cel will be living with them... Not to mention what could happen if Gale or Madge do the math and realise that there is no way Peeta and I could have conceived a baby early enough for Cel to have been born healthy two weeks ago. Maybe they already have. Maybe they've just chosen to ignore it. I won't ask.

"My old Catnip, with a kid. Jeez. Who'dve thought it, hey?" We both laugh at the incredibility of the situation. "I bet he's perfect. Madge and I can't wait to meet him. When are you guys coming back?" I sigh again.

"As soon as Peeta's out of there. I just can't believe- well, actually, I completely can believe they would do this, and that's what makes it so sick." Just this morning, an announcement had been made to all those outside the arena, saying that considering the 'success of the two-victor format of last year's Games', they've decided to let both Finnick and Peeta out of the arena, should they both still be alive at the next lightening strike; noon. Of course, they haven't been told this, but as it's already eleven I doubt there's much cause to worry. "I just want to go home. I'm exhausted and I miss everyone-" my voice catches and I pretend to cough. "Yeah. Home sounds good."

"We can't wait to see you and Cellath." There is a pause and a whoosh before the sounds of a muffled conversation. I can tell that it's Madge, but not what she's saying. Another whoosh and Gale is back. "Well. I'll see you soon?"

"Definitely. Bye, Gale."

"Bye." That all-too-familiar beep ends the call, and I drop the communicator onto my bedside table, where it now resides. I sink onto my bed, head in hands, missing home more than ever. A gurgling laugh rings through the hall, and my head raises. I see Delly running down the corridor with Cel held high above her head, both of them laughing. She pauses outside my open door, out of breath.

"I'll just go and give him to Effie and then- is it ok if we have a talk?" She looks a little more serious now.

"Yeah, sure. Don't bother with Effie, we're all headed to the main room anyway. They're coming out of the arena." I can't help but smile and Delly smiles back. "Then we're going straight to pick Peeta up from the landing pads across the Capitol, by Snow's mansion." Her grin fades a little.

"You'll be wanting to take him, then," she says, walking over and placing him in my arms. I shift his little weight to my left arm to touch Delly's wrist with my right.

"Thank you. For everything."

"You're welcome." Silence. After a moment, I go to leave, Cel still in my arms. "Uh, one last thing." I turn back to Delly, eyebrows raised questioningly. "I've decided- I've decided I'm gonna stay here. In the Capitol." My eyebrows raise further. I didn't see this coming. "I've found a nice little place, quiet-ish and as secluded as it gets." She comes closer. "There's nothing left for me in District 12, and all for me to gain by staying here. I can get a good job, earn my own living, and forget..." She touches Cel's cheek tenderly. "...forget everything that's gone before. I can start over." She looks me in the eye then, and the pain behind her happy mask makes me pull her in for a hug, slightly awkward with Cel in between us.

"You know you're more than welcome to come and stay with me and Peeta, if you want to come back for any time. Ok?" She nods mutely and I step back. "Good luck, Delly. And thanks again."

"Come on," she says, smiling again. This time I can tell it's fake. "Let's go get your husband." She walks out before I can say anything more and is out of sight by the time I've grabbed my bag and am in the hall. I shake my head and look down at the baby in my arms.

"I hope your mummy's ok, Cellath. I really do," I murmur, and start towards the lounge.

I am the third to arrive, after Delly and Effie, who sit together at one end of the largest sofa. I sit in one of the armchairs off to the side and, to my surprise, Effie doesn't try to get me to join them, or even to get me to give her Cel. She seems extremely tense. I suddenly think of something.

"Effie, where's Haymitch?" She frowns at me.

"I thought you would have heard. Since his mentorial duties are now over, he's been let go. He caught the first train back to District 12 this morning."

"Oh," I say, wishing I could have done the same. "Fair enough." Just then the screen before us flares into life and Peeta's face is on it. My heart lurches in my chest- I haven't seen him in so long.

"Attention, tributes! Attention!" Claudius Templeman's voice booms from the speakers and Peeta's head whips round, searching for Finnick. He bounds out of the jungle, the silver spile we sent them glinting in his hand. They stand together on the beach as Claudius begins to repeat his spiel to them. "Due to the abundant success of the two-victor-format seen last year, we have decided that this, the Third Quarter Quell, should have the same outcome. Therefore, it is my duty and pleasure to announce the victors of the 75th Annual Hunger Games- Finnick Odair, and Peeta Mellark!" Effie bursts into applause, Delly clapping too but with far less enthusiasm.

"Well, come along!" Effie turns the screen off, and I watch as the image of a confused and slightly angry Finnick and Peeta fades to black. "Let's go get our hero!" She leads out of the room with me holding Cel after her. Delly remains on the sofa. I decide not to question her; I just smile in what I hope is a caring way before closing the door behind me.

I shroud Cel from the bright lights but his startled crying can be heard over the clicks. Awful as it is to take advantage of a baby's cries, I hope that they will be enough to satisfy the press for today. I'm not in the mood for a photoshoot- I just want to get to Peeta and then to my family.

We get to the landing pads very soon, but it couldn't be soon enough for me. I don't know if it's all the time we've spent apart making me feel so excited about seeing him, or even if the baby in my arms has made me more caring- whatever. I just am, and so when we are finally there and Peeta walks in my heart leaps and I pass Cel to Effie and I run. I just run towards him and the smile on my face grows and grows and then it's a broken, crumpled thing and I'm crying and then I'm in his arms and he's holding me so close and then we are kissing. And it's as if time itself slows down, and everything falls into place. In that moment, I realise; I love him. I really do. And I've missed him, missed this, so much.

It's all as clear as Effie's voice, ringing out from where she stands with Cel, shouting, "Welcome back, Peeta! I hope you're ok." We break apart and when he looks into my eyes it's like he's seeing me for the first time. He looks around.

"There aren't any cameras, Peeta," I murmur. "Just me. And Effie, and... And somebody who'd like to meet you." He looks bewildered but happy, and I take his hand and lead him to where Effie still stands. She's probably reluctant to move more than necessary in her crazy shoes. She smiles warmly and passes Cel to me. I hold him close, moving so that Peeta can clear the paparazzi-proof blanket away from his face to see him properly. "Say hi, Cellath. This is..." I pause, trying to think of the right word- one that describes Peeta's fatherly role without implying too much permanence.

"Dad?" Peeta offers, hope in his eyes as he gazes down at Cel. He's already completely in love; I can see it on his face. I sigh and rest my head on his shoulder.

"I'll explain later." He shifts away slightly and gives me a wary look, before extending his arms, asking for Cel. I hand him over, shrouding his face again and clinging to Peeta's side as Effie starts to totter away, leading us towards home. Finally.

**AN: Happy new year! I hope you all had a good time over the holidays :D Peeta's back! Yay! I had to put some niceness in there- I am an Everlark shipper, after all. ;) Please let me know what you thought, and (as it was the only one suggested, haha!) I'll be uploading my accent challenge punishment video to my Tumblr soon... I'll link you to it here, don't worry. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! x**


	15. Chapter 14

"Are you sure he's ok?" Effie asks for the thousandth time. "I could go check on him..?" She rises from the plush blue armchair and I throw up my hand.

"Effie, if you go and check on him you'll only wake him up. He needs to sleep." She sits back down, settling herself with a grumble to watch the scenery fly by through the train window.

"Just think," Peeta says. "Only a few hours before we're home. All of us. At last." He smiles at me and I smile back weakly. I still haven't told him about my arrangement with Gale, and I just know he's going to explode when I do. And I must. _As soon as we get home_, I tell myself. That'll have to be soon enough.

"Aren't you a little worried? You're both so young..." Effie trails off.

"I just can't wait to get home and start taking care of the little guy properly," Peeta says, smiling. My stomach twists. He has to know, now. I take his hand gently and stand up.

"Peeta, a word?" He rises from his seat and follows me without a sound down the hallway towards our bedroom. When we get there I close the door behind us but somehow I still feel like we're being watched. An idea hits me and I yank him into the en-suite bathroom. "Hey, what-" I put my finger to my lips; he falls silent and closes the door behind him, his confusion showing on his face. My stomach twists again. Surely they wouldn't have a camera or microphone in here...

"I haven't been completely honest with you," I blurt out. "Not that we've had much time or anything, and we have been in the Capitol under constant surveillance and to be honest I'm not even sure we aren't being watched here so maybe it would be best not to-"

"Katniss, stop babbling. Just tell me." His tone is slightly harsh- something I can't blame him for after the promise I made on the Victory Tour to be honest to him- but his expression is soft and accepting, eyebrows raised a little.

"I know you love him, and believe me, I- I love him too, but the truth is... Cel isn't ours to keep." There, it's out. Peeta's brow furrows and his eyes narrow at me.

"What have you agreed to?" He grasps my shoulders, panic in his gaze.

"Don't worry, nothing involving anyone you don't know." He looks up at me, suspicious but relieved.

"Then who?" Silence. "Who do we know that would want a baby?"  
He struggles to think for a minute before I mumble, "Galeandmadge."

"Huh?" I take a steadying breath, bracing for the storm.

"Gale. And Madge." He exhales loudly and closes his eyes before walking out of the bathroom. I wait a moment before following him out into the bedroom, then into the hallway; the door to Cel's little room is the only one open. I duck inside and see him standing beside the cot, gripping the side with both hands, eyes closed again. I can't tell if he's calming down or absolutely furious.

"Them, huh. Who'd have thought it." He opens his eyes and looks at me. I bite my lip.

"I'm sorry," I say in the smallest whisper. I would guess that the security camera in the corner of the room conveys sound as well as image. "It's not that I don't want- I was just- they can't have kids and he was so desperate and I was scared. I was so damn scared." I laugh humourlessly. "I'm not ready to be a mother." I don't add that I may never be ready. Surprisingly, Peeta smiles.

"Truthfully? I was a little worried about being a parent myself." Relief floods through me and I join him on the other side of the cot. His arms wrap themselves around my waist and I kiss him quickly. "Thank you. For being so understanding."

"Like I said, I was scared too. Besides, we'll have kids of our own when we're both ready. Because we're lucky, and we can." I kiss him, startling him with the passion of it.

I pull back only to say, "You're amazing," before grabbing his hand and leading him to our bedroom. The door closes behind us. His arms wrap around my back and my hands rest on his chest. I push him to the bed so I am lying on top of him, our lips still locked together, and his hands begin to roam. And I make the decision, there and then, not to stop them. We break apart minutes later, gasping for air, and my fingers fumble with the buttons on his shirt. He helps me and then it's off and boy did the arena improve his muscles. I resist touching him and hold up my arms so he can pull my shirt over my head, but as soon as he's thrown in to the end of the bed there's no stopping me. My hands are all over him as he undoes my bra and throws it on top of my shirt.

"It's cold in here!" I half-whisper, laughing as I wriggle the sheet from underneath us and pull it over our bodies. I've never been this close to him before- physically or emotionally- but now it feels right. I kiss him again, my tongue slipping into his mouth. I can't help the small gasp that escapes me as his hands find my breasts. He moans- and then he stops moving, pulls away, holds me back. What?!

"Is this really the best time? Here, on a train?" He is still breathless and there's a heated longing in his eyes that betrays his true feelings about the matter. Ha.

"I don't see why not," I murmur, grinning as I lean down and kiss him once more. Again he pushes me back after a few moments.

"We're on a train, baby. Think about it." I drop my gaze, wondering what's so bad. And then it clicks.

"Shit!" I whisper furiously, tumbling to the side and hugging the sheet to my body to cover myself even though I was hardly exposed before. Not to anyone but Peeta, anyway. "Shit, shit, shit!"

"Exactly." He glances around the room, searching for the inevitable surveillance camera. God forbid anyone have any privacy within a Capitol-designed room. He gets up, giving me full view of his chiselled torso. I sigh in frustration. "Got it," he says, staring at a point above the bed canopy. "It can't have seen anything, it's all the way up there." He gestures before shooting the poor security guard who's watching him through the camera the dirtiest look he can manage and climbing back into bed. I burrow into him, feeling his warmth radiate through the sheet that's still wrapped around me. "So," he murmurs.

"So," I say quietly. There is a long silence. "Way to kill the mood, assholes!" I yell, looking up as if I can see the camera that was trying to see, and almost certainly hearing, our near-intimacy. Peeta laughs and holds me closer and I can't help but chuckle with him. He strokes my hair as we lie there, for goodness knows how long; there's a baby in a room a few metres away that's bound to start crying for a feed any minute now, there's a woman I can barely stand just down the hall who could come barging in at any moment, we're far away from home and far too close to the Capitol for my liking- and yet, in this moment, I feel completely content.

**AN: Yay, happiness for Everlark! :D Not so much happiness for me... Here's the link to my accent challenge- just take out the "dot"s and replace them with actual dots and it should work. (I fully acknowledge that I sound like a mouse and the quality is terrible). **_katpissnevercleen dot tumblr dot com /post/41387704377_**  
Thank you so much for reading/reviewing, it literally makes my week to read them all! x**


	16. Chapter 15

"This is going to be so hard," I murmur to Peeta, clutching Cellath to my chest and looking down at him. His tiny face peers up at me and I swear he almost smiles, but instead he wriggles ever so slightly and closes his eyes. Peeta sighs.

"I know," he says, resigned. "I know. But it's for the best."

"Is it?" The words have escaped my mouth before I realise what I'm saying, but luckily the front door opens to reveal Haymitch and Peeta doesn't have time to respond before we're being ushered into Haymitch's travel pod. I'm surprised that all three of us (well, four, but I don't count Cel because he's so small) can fit in the tiny vehicle, but we do, and the blacked out windows help me feel much safer than walking out in the open.

"I have to admit, this was a pretty good idea," Peeta says to Haymitch.

"I know, I thought of it. It would be." The arrogance practically drips from his words.

"Haymitch, shut up." It's hard for me to stop myself from saying more, or even getting straight back out of the pod, but I resist. I have to, for Cel's sake. I watch Haymitch's face turn sour as I go over why I must do this yet again in my head.

I am not ready to be a mother, no matter how lovely Cel may be. I have never expected to become a mother, and am not prepared in the slightest for all the struggles and strifes of the job. But Madge, dear, sweet Madge who has been preparing to be a mother for months- years, perhaps, if her father was truly as anxious for her to carry on the bloodline as she said he was when we were in school- she's ready. She wants this more than anything else in the world. If he is to have a good life, then this is what we must do. We must give him to her and to Gale, who, after helping to look after three younger siblings for most of his life, will surely be a great father.

All this thinking sucks the time of the short journey away from me and when I emerge from my own mind we are outside the mayor's front gates. Haymitch rolls down the window of the pod to speak to the access intercom, his voice ridiculously annoyed even now, minutes since my tiny snap at him. After a few moments, the gates swing open and we drive down the pathway, swerving left past the main mansion where the mayor and his wife live to the smaller, newer house that Gale and Madge reside in.

The pod slows to a halt outside the front door, and I see the curtains in the front room rustle as someone leaves them. Peeta is out and offering me a gentlemanly hand out of the pod before I know it and I take it with a sad sort of smile before looking up to see my two best friends stood in the door frame, Gale grinning with his arm around Madge's waist, Madge with happy tears in her eyes. It makes it a little easier to do this when I know how much joy it is bringing them. Only a little, though.

As we approach the door and Madge's tears start to fall down her cheeks, a lump forms in my own throat. I swallow around it and force a quick smile.

"Hey," I say, still hugging Cellath tightly to my chest.

"Hi, Catnip." Even now, Gale smirks down at me and I can't help but give a short laugh.

"Katniss," Madge greets me, wiping under her eyes. Her plain silver wedding band glints in the sunlight. "It's been too long. And Peeta," she says, turning to him slightly and resting a hand on his arm. "You look so well. Congratulations on winning, for the second time." We all grimace slightly at the mention of the Games. For a moment, an awkward silence hangs around us. Madge is the one to break it.

"Come on in." She moves aside and Gale leads us through the first door on our left, into their lounge. "You too, Haymitch," I hear Madge say loudly to the grouchy man, still sulking in the pod. The pod door slams and I hear his heavy footsteps before he enters, Madge shortly behind him. She motions for us to sit down on the plush sofa. Peeta obeys with a smile and, though I was hoping for a quick escape, I join him. Haymitch stays stood by the door, arms crossed.

"So," Gale says. "I suppose a thank you is in order."

"Gale!" Madge slaps his arm, a look of disbelief on her face as she turns to me. "Of course it is. Not that words will ever be enough." Again, I smile briefly, but soon return my gaze to Cel. The others talk around me but their words don't quite reach me; I'm in my own world with Cel, a world where there are no Games to win and we are all happy, where we are at peace and have the freedom to make our own decisions. A world where I could really be Cel's mother.

"He's so beautiful, isn't he, Katniss?" I start at my name and look up at Madge, who is still smiling down at the baby in my arms. She's crying again. All I can do is nod in agreement. Peeta rests his hand lightly on my arm and I turn to him.

"We should go soon," is all he says, but I know that it's time to start saying goodbye. His eyes go to Cel he extends his little finger to Cel's tiny hand and laughs ever so softly as he grasps it, wide grey eyes looking deeply into blue. I tear my gaze away from the two of them, swallowing hard.

"We'll need to be seen with him every so often," I say to Madge, hoping that I sound all-business.

"Of course," she replies. "How often, do you think?"

"Perhaps once a week?" Peeta suggests.

"It will be lovely to see you." And that's the end of that conversation. Our gazes both return to Cellath, and I find myself swallowing more and more frequently. Gale steps forward.

"Can I..?" He leaves the question open, but I know what he wants. What he's entitled to. What I've agreed to. I take a deep breath as I stand and extend my arms to him, Cel going with them and ending up in Gale's. "Thanks." It's all he says as he takes my baby away and leads him to his wife- Cel's mother, now.

An arm goes around my waist and squeezes as it leads me out of the room, out of the door and into the travel pod once again. It relinquishes its hold on me to wave fruitlessly out of the blackened window before returning to me, grasping my hand. I just sit there, dazed, the pod moving but me staying completely still, the hand gripping mine but me feeling nothing, just counting the tears as they drop onto my chest.

**AN: "OH MY GOD WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN IT'S BEEN FOUR MONTHS I HATE YOU" is what I would be saying if I were reading this story instead of writing it. I'm really sorry! I've had so much stuff going on at college with exams and various deadlines and when I actually had a moment to spare I either didn't want to write or couldn't; this chapter was really difficult for me to get the emotions right, and I'm still not sure that I did. Let me know your thoughts in a review! **

**PS: I went through this whole story and reformatted it slightly because it was annoying me. I hope it looks better now, but again- let me know! x**


	17. Chapter 16

"You know, I'm not exactly happy about being your taxi service."

"Haymitch," I say with an exasperated sigh. "I told you to shut up. That was all I did. And it was weeks ago! Let it go." I roll my eyes, taking a sip of my cooling tea.

"You're acting like a moody teenager."

"So are you!" He glares at me from behind his mug of brandy-spiked coffee.

"The difference is, I'm eighteen. I have every right to." Eighteen seems so strange to say- it's been a couple of months since my birthday, which was thankfully kept quiet, but I'm still not used to the number. Now it is Haymitch's turn to sigh, but his is heavy and sad.

"I forget that sometimes." Silence falls. We sit for a few minutes, gradually emptying our respective cups, until Peeta comes down the stairs. He grabs his jacket from the hook by the front door.

"You ready?" He says. I nod, smiling at the prospect of seeing Cellath again. It has only been a matter of weeks since we let him go, and while it's still hard to give him back at the end of our outings, we just try to enjoy our limited time with him.

"You've got the clothes?" I ask, gesturing to the bag in Peeta's grasp. We always bring Cel clothes- babygros, shirts, trousers and shoes, all tiny, all subtle enough for mine and Madge's tastes and just bright enough to satisfy the Capitol cameras.

"Of course," he replies with a grin. "Shall we get going, then?" We look expectantly towards Haymitch. He grunts as he rises slowly from his seat.

"I don't see why you can't just take yourselves. Walk or something."

"Because then we'd be seen going into the mayor's property without a baby and coming out with one," I say patronisingly. "People would get suspicious. Now stop being an as-"

"We really appreciate you helping us out," Peeta interrupts. "So if you could kindly continue to do that…" He gestures to the door.

"I'm going, I'm going." And sure enough, he is, but not without grumbling to himself as he walks to the waiting pod outside. Peeta and I exchange raised eyebrows, him laughing softly, and are making to follow him when the phone on the wall rings. Peeta picks up quickly.

"Hello? …Yes, she is- what's wrong?" I throw him a questioning look. "Ok, alright, just calm down. I'll pass you over." He mouths '_Delly'_ to me as he hands me the communicator, and a weight forms in my stomach. I wait until he has shut the front door behind him before speaking.

"Hi, Delly," I say as cheerily as I can manage. "Are you alright?"

"No, Katniss," she snaps. "I am not 'alright'. My job is horrible, my boss is appalling, I'm probably going to be evicted from my house and you've given my baby away without asking me about it." Oh God. Guilt bubbles up from my chest and out through my words.

"Delly- I'm sorry- we weren't-"

"Where is Cellath? Where is he, right now?" The weight in my stomach grows heavier. I take a deep breath before plunging in.

"He's not here. Look-"

"I _know_ he's not there. And that's the problem. Tell me this, Katniss- why have Gale and Madge got my son? Come on, clock's ticking." She sounds angrier than I've ever heard her.

"Listen, I know you're mad, and you have every right to be, but Gale and I had an agreement that if I had a child, I would give it to him. I wasn't ready, Delly. Cel wouldn't have had a good enough home. This way, he does." I try to convey positivity but it doesn't seem to work.

"If _you_ had a child. _You_ didn't. Cellath is my baby, remember that, and I think that- as his birth mother- I should be informed of what's going on with him. You know, anything big. Him moving out of your house and into somebody else's counts as pretty damn huge in my book!"

"Delly," I say, trying not to get angry myself. "You gave him up. You gave him to me, willingly, just as I gave him to Gale and Madge. He's perfectly safe, and I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem is that I wasn't told anything! That your mother was the one to tell me that he wasn't with you guys anymore!" She sounds on the verge of tears, and I hear her taking a hitching breath. "Look, I know now. What's done is done. I just wish you'd have told me. Please, anything in the future-"

"It'll come from me, firsthand, as soon as it happens. Before it happens, even," I promise.

"Good." She takes another deep, hopefully calming breath. "So what's actually going on with all this? Natalie didn't seem to know a lot."

"Nobody can, really," I admit. "It's too risky. This is how we're keeping it all hidden from the press." Peeta has come back in now. I must have been talking for some time. I motion for him to give me a moment, and he leans against the wall next to me. "What I can tell you is that we see him once a week, give the cameras their fill- which is as little as we can get away with, rest assured- and that he's never seen with Gale or Madge and we aren't seen with them either. We go to theirs by travel pod so nobody can see who we are." There is a long pause on the other end of the line. "Delly?"

"I'm here," she says. She sounds suspicious now. "You don't have a travel pod. Neither do Gale and Madge, do they?"

"No. Haymitch takes us over in his. He usually drops us on the outskirts of town or something once we have Cel, too. He's being very good with it all actually, considering." I laugh, but she doesn't join me, and I know something is wrong.

"Haymitch?" Her voice is barely a question; it sounds more like she's trying to restrain herself.

"Uh, yeah."

"You let Haymitch in the same travel pod as Cel?"

"Yes. What's wrong with that?" I frown when I hear her breathing get heavier and speed up considerably. "Delly, are you alright? You don't sound very-"

"I don't want that man anywhere near my baby." I'm sure she's crying now, at the same time as sounding furious in that awfully controlled way.

"Why?" Her objection has me baffled. "Haymitch is a very trustworthy-"

"A trustworthy drunk, I'm sure!" She snaps again. "Keep my Cellath away from that man." She hangs up without another word and I am left staring at the receiver, dumbfounded. Peeta takes the communicator from me and puts it back in its holder on the wall.

"What was that about?" He asks. "She seemed angry."

"Angry is the least of it. It was- weird." He frowns inquisitively. "She didn't know. About Gale and Madge having Cel."

"Oh." His face falls into an expression of understanding. "I didn't realise."

"It was my fault," I say. "We've sorted it now, I think."

"Good." He smiles at me and takes my hand, opening the door once again and leading me out. "What was all that about Haymitch?" I sigh, shaking my head.

"I'm still confused myself," I reply as we reach the pod and climb in. "Another time," I say, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Alright." He strokes the back of my hand soothingly. "Thanks, Haymitch," he says with a nod to him where he sits in the front. Haymitch merely grunts as he starts the engine and we glide out of the Victor's Village once more.

**AN: Not long until the end now! I think there'll be about 5 more chapters, possibly 6, but I might write a sequel. It depends on how I feel with the ending when it comes about, really. Thank you so much for reading, please review! x**


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